1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to shape memory polymers (SMPs), their production and use. More particularly, the current invention comprises a reaction product of a mono-functional cyanate ester and a multifunctional cyanate ester in the form of a cross-linked thermoset network in the presence of a catalyst, structural modifier, neither, or both. The present invention is specifically drawn toward space applications as cyanate ester is already an approved compound for use in space applications. The need for a SMP that is approved for use in space is obvious to those that work in the space field. A material that can be compacted for launch and then unfolded in space while maintaining high toughness and being lightweight would significantly reduce the costs of sending objects into space. The present invention is also drawn to a shape memory polymer thermosetting resin having compatibility with polymers employed in high temperature, high strength and high tolerance processes in manufacturing.
2. Background of Prior Art
Shape memory materials are materials capable of distortion above their glass transition temperatures (Tgs). They store such distortion at temperatures below their Tg as potential mechanical energy in the material, and release this energy when heated again to above the Tg, returning to their original “memory” shape.
The first materials known to have these properties were shape memory metal alloys (SMAs), including TiNi (Nitinol), CuZnAl, and FeNiAl alloys. These materials have been proposed for various uses, including vascular stents, medical guide wires, orthodontic wires, vibration dampers, pipe couplings, electrical connectors, thermostats, actuators, eyeglass frames, and brassiere underwires. With a temperature change of as little as 10° C., these alloys can exert a stress as large as 415 MPa when applied against a resistance to changing its shape from its deformed shape. However, these materials have not yet been widely used, in part because they are relatively expensive.
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are being developed to replace or augment the use of SMAs, in part because the polymers are light weight, high in shape recovery ability, easy to manipulate, and economical as compared with SMAs. SMPs are materials capable of distortion above their glass transition temperature (Tg), storing such distortion at temperatures below their Tg as potential mechanical energy in the polymer, and release this energy when heated to temperatures above their Tg, returning to their original memory shape. When the polymer is heated to near its transition state it becomes soft and malleable and can be deformed under resistances of approximately 1 MPa modulus. When the temperature is decreased below its Tg, the deformed shape is fixed by the higher rigidity of the material at a lower temperature while, at the same time, the mechanical energy expended on the material during deformation will be stored. Thus, favorable properties for SMPs will closely link to the network architecture and to the sharpness of the transition separating the rigid and rubbery states.
Heretofore, numerous polymers have been found to have particularly attractive shape memory effects, most notably the polyurethanes, polynorbornene, styrene-butadiene copolymers, and cross-linked polyethylene.
In literature, SMPs are generally characterized as phase segregated linear block co-polymers having a hard segment and a soft segment. The hard segment is typically crystalline, with a defined melting point, and the soft segment is typically amorphous, with a defined glass transition temperature. In some embodiments, however, the hard segment is amorphous and has a glass transition temperature rather than a melting point. In other embodiments, the soft segment is crystalline and has a melting point rather than a glass transition temperature. The melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment is substantially less than the melting point or glass transition temperature of the hard segment. Examples of polymers used to prepare hard and soft segments of known SMPs include various polyacrylates, polyamides, polysiloxanes, polyurethanes, polyethers, polyether amides, polyurethane/ureas, polyether esters, and urethane/butadiene copolymers.
The limitations with existing shape memory polymers lie in the thermal characteristics and tolerances of the material. Operational activation temperature, the Tg, may be low for conditions in which the system will reside, leading to the material being incapable of activation. An example of such a situation is a hot region with an ambient temperature exceeding the transition temperature of the SMP; such a climate would not allow the polymer to efficiently make use of its rigid phase. Additionally, current organic systems from which SMPs are synthesized are not capable of operating in adverse environments that degrade polymeric materials. An example of such an environment is low earth orbit, where intense radiation and highly reactive atomic oxygen destroy most organic materials.
Applications for a shape memory material capable of withstanding these harsh conditions as well as higher thermal loads include, but are not limited to; morphing aerospace structures and space compatible polymers capable of self-actuation and dampening.
Conventional shape memory polymers generally are segmented polyurethanes and have hard segments that include aromatic moieties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,935 to Hayashi, for example, discloses a shape memory polyurethane elastomer molded article formed from a polyurethane elastomer polymerized from of a difunctional diiiosicyanate, a difunctional polyol, and a difunctional chain extender.
Examples of polymers used to prepare hard and soft segments of known SMPs include various polyethers, polyacrylates, polyamides, polysiloxanes, polyurethanes, polyether amides, polyurethane/ureas, polyether esters, and urethane/butadiene copolymers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,300 to Ward et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,935 to Hayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,822 to Bitler et al.; and Gorden, “Applications of Shape Memory Polyurethanes,” Proceedings of the First International Conference on Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies, SMST International Committee, pp. 115-19 (1994).
Recently, however, SMPs have been created using reactions of different polymers to eliminate the need for a hard and soft segment, creating instead, a single piece of SMP. U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,481 discloses such a SMP using a reaction of styrene, a vinyl compound, a multifunctional crosslinking agent and an initiator to create a styrene based SMP.
When the SMP is heated above the melting point or glass transition temperature of the hard segment, the material can be shaped. This (original) shape can be memorized by cooling the SMP below the melting point or glass transition temperature of the hard segment. When the shaped SMP is cooled below the melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment while the shape is deformed, a new (temporary) shape is fixed. The original shape is recovered by heating the material above the melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment but below the melting point or glass transition temperature of the hard segment. The recovery of the original shape, which is induced by an increase in temperature, is called the thermal shape memory effect. Properties that describe the shape memory capabilities of a material are the shape recovery of the original shape and the shape fixity of the temporary shape.
Several physical properties of SMPs other than the ability to memorize shape are significantly altered in response to external changes in temperature and stress, particularly at the melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment. These properties include the elastic modulus, hardness, flexibility, vapor permeability, damping, index of refraction, and dielectric constant. The elastic modulus (the ratio of the stress in a body to the corresponding strain) of an SMP can change by a factor of up to 200 when heated above the melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment. Also, the hardness of the material changes dramatically when the soft segment is at or above its melting point or glass transition temperature. When the material is heated to a temperature above the melting point or glass transition temperature of the soft segment, the damping ability can be up to five times higher than a conventional rubber product. The material can readily recover to its original molded shape following numerous thermal cycles, and can be heated above the melting point of the hard segment and reshaped and cooled to fix a new original shape.
The industrial use of SMPs has been limited because of their low transition temperatures. Cyanate esters are a unique class of material which possesses attractive thermal and mechanical properties. In applications where high rigidity and high temperature resistant materials are needed, cyanate esters demonstrate compatibility by maintaining their rigid glassy modulus at high temperature as well as possessing a stable chemical structure resistant to conditions such as oxidation and radiation exposure. Cyanate esters polymerize thermally producing a highly dense crosslinked network. Typically these thermoset cyanate ester networks are rigid and have low strain capability. By altering this network system, it is possible to produce a lightly crosslinked network still possessing many of the original materials properties but with the functionality of a shape memory polymer. Currently there is no shape memory polymer capable of withstanding very high temperatures and pressures for use in industrial applications. Thus there is a need for a SMP that can be used at the high temperatures used in manufacturing processes. Because Cyanate Esters are already a space qualified material, the present invention would be highly useful for space applications because it is lightweight, strong, and has the ability to change shape.